Newey ‘shocked’ at departure response as Verstappen warned against ‘stupid’ choice – F1 news round-up

Sunday’s F1 news is here, and Adrian Newey has opened up about his surprise at everyone’s outpouring of emotion, praise and at him leaving Red Bull.

For someone who likes to fly under the radar, that is perhaps unsurprising, but when your designs power 25 Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles over the decades, people could perhaps be forgiven for talking about it a little bit (or a lot). Anyway, let’s dive in, shall we?

Adrian Newey’s ‘shock and surprise’ at reaction to Red Bull departure

While he’s never been one for seeking out the spotlight, there’s no denying Adrian Newey’s impact on the sport – to a degree that he has been slightly taken aback by the degree to which people have reacted to the news he will be leaving Red Bull early next year.

When asked by Sky F1 about how he feels about how people have taken the news, Newey replied:  “Surprised, to be honest.

“I mean, I’ve been doing the job I’ve always wanted to since I was a kid. That’s my passion.

“And I enjoy working with the drivers, the engineers in the team, all the other mechanics at the factory, etc. That’s what gets me up and motivates me.

“The kind of other side of it is something [which] I guess comes as part of the package, but not something I ever think about. So it has been a bit of a shock and a surprise almost.”

Read more: Adrian Newey left ‘shocked and surprised’ over Red Bull exit reaction

Max Verstappen warned against ‘stupid’ Red Bull departure

Former Formula 1 favourite Juan Pablo Montoya has spoken against the idea of Max Verstappen leaving the team for Mercedes because, put simply, why give up the best thing on the grid at this moment in time?

“I really don’t [see Verstappen leaving], I think he would be stupid if he did,” Montoya told RacingNews365.

“Max has everybody talking: ‘Oh, he is going to leave Red Bull’, and you go, ‘Why would you leave Red Bull if they’re winning everything?’

“Unless you are not there for the right reason, you will leave, but if you are there for the right reason, you wouldn’t touch it.”

Read more: Max Verstappen warned against ‘stupid’ Red Bull decision as ‘p*ssed’ Jos theory raised

Oscar Piastri performed even better in Miami than initially thought…

While Lando Norris had the full suite of McLaren upgrades on his car in Miami, Oscar Piastri had half of them and will have all of them at the next race at Imola.

And as team principal Andrea Stella explained, the pace of the young Aussie would have put him right with Norris, perhaps even quicker than him, in Miami, had the full package been applied.

He finished outside the points in the end after damaging his front wing in contact with Carlos Sainz, but it was an encouraging sign from the other side of the McLaren garage nonetheless.

Read more: McLaren reveal hidden Oscar Piastri data that will alert Lando Norris

Carlos Sainz receives World Champion backing for F1 2025 waiting game

Having not committed to a seat in 2025 yet despite known interest from Sauber, which will become Audi in 2026, Jenson Button praised Carlos Sainz for playing the waiting game – given that a Red Bull or Mercedes drive may be on offer to him and offering a more competitive package in the immediate term.

“I think he has to take risks, but I think waiting it out and maybe getting a Red Bull seat or maybe getting a Mercedes seat is the direction he needs to take,” Button said on Sky F1.

“He doesn’t want to wait for another sort of three or four years to be in a seat at Audi that could be competitive, so I think he’s doing the right thing.”

Read more: Carlos Sainz ‘doing the right thing’ as World Champion backs ousted Ferrari driver’s F1 2025 risk

Alpine drivers giving their future thought as contract deadlines approach

Both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are out of contract with Alpine at the end of the year, and they have weighed in with their thoughts on the current situation with the team and whether or not they may be inclined to stay on.

Gasly was keen to keep focus on talking about on-track matters mostly while adding about the importance of the 2026 power unit in development, while Ocon added: “You never know what the future will hold. Obviously, I’m working flat out with the team.

“I’ve always believed being inside that project now for a while and you know, I’ve signed [for] three years, three years ago for a reason.

“We’ll see what happens in the future, but at the moment, I’m working race by race, and we’ll see what the future holds.”

Read more: F1 2024 strugglers giving drivers ‘a lot to consider’ before committing their futures